American Gold Eagle proofs are actually one of the two versions of the American Gold Eagle Coins that were authorized by the Gold Bullion Coin Act of 1985. Specifically manufactured for coin collectors and archival purposes, a more thorough production process is invested in the making of these coins to give them more attractive looks and heightened qualities.
The American Gold Eagle proof coins look mostly the same as their bullion counterparts, with the most obvious difference being a little “W” that is placed under the mint date on the Gold Eagle proof coins. This implies that the obverse of proof the coin, just like the bullion coin, has the image of the beautiful Lady Liberty standing in front of the Capitol with her hair flowing around her, and with an olive branch in her left hand and a torch in her right. And the reverse has an engraving of a male eagle taking an olive branch to its family in their nest. Also, the gold content of the proof coins are the same with those of the bullion coins. But, unlike the bullion version of the Gold Eagle Coins that were immediately produced in all four denominations since their release in 1986, the American Gold Eagle proof version was only available in one denomination, which is the 1oz denomination. Other denominations (1/2oz, 1/4oz and 1/10oz) were subsequently produced in the later years.
Another difference between the Gold Eagle Proof Coins and their bullion counterparts is that the intrinsic values of the proof version are slightly more than those of the bullion version. However, their face values remain the same, with 1/10oz, 1/4oz, 1/2oz and 1oz denominations having face values of $5, $10, $25 and $50 respectively. Due to varying demands for the coins, the mintage values of the proof coins usually fall within a range of 12,000 and 45,000 per year, apart from 2009, when the coins were not produced at all.
